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The Stat Line of the Night — 4/20/10 — Josh Smith

Known affectionately by his fans as “J-Smoove”, the Atlanta Hawks power forward Josh Smith has been feeling ignored this season. Even though he has been having a ridiculous year, he was overlooked as an All-Star as two of his teammates, Al Horford and Joe Johnson, were selected. Last night he proved why he should not ever be ignored on a basketball court, helping his Hawks go up 2-0 in their playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

With Joe Johnson shooting the lights out from the outside, Josh Smith worked freely under the basket. He ended the night with 21 points on 9-11 shooting and 3-3 from the free throw line. He also came extremely close to a triple-double, snagging 14 rebounds and handing out 9 assists. Proving he can do it all, he added 2 steals and 2 blocks to his line. Joe Johnson is one of only three players in NBA history to ever have 20 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and shoot 80% in a playoff game. Smith was not alone en route to the 96-86 victory. All 5 starters for the Hawks finished with double figure scoring.

Now the Hawks travel to Milwaukee with a 2-0 lead. They can’t afford to get complacent, and Josh Smith seems to have no intention of doing that. Although it looks like they are firmly in control of the series a loss or two could put the Bucks right back into the series. If Josh Smith keeps putting up “Stat Line of the Night”-type numbers, that shouldn’t be a problem.